Hiker's book details triumph based on love, support

Jennifer Pharr Davis poses with her husband, Brew.

Photo provided

By Renee KumorFor the Times-News

Published: Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.

In 2008, Jennifer Pharr-Davis set the Women’s Supported Appalachian Trail record (57 days and 8 hours, averaging 38 miles per day). As she relates in her newest book, “Called Again,” after her first success, she felt called to challenge the record held by men on the trail.

Throughout this account, Davis gives acknowledgment to those who, at every step on the trail, came to her support. This allowed her, in 2011, to claim the Overall Appalachian Trail record — 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, an average of 47 miles per day.

Her trek was a physical as well as a spiritual journey. Her companions along the way were seasoned hikers, some who were friends, some who became friends. Her biggest supporter was her husband, the man who offered encouragement, food and warmth as she settled into the campsite he had prepared for her at the end of each day.

Davis writes of her physical challenges — the rain, the mud, the bugs, the pain — as something she accepts as part of this quest. Her skills as a hiker help her surmount the physical challenges. Her determination makes her put one step in front of the other every day to meet her goal.

The charm of this book is in Davis’s joy of the challenge. And the story is also in praise of the support she received from her husband, Brew, through the many days of training and of his presence during the 46 days of her trek. She talks of their love and the intimacy of their relationship with grace and affection.

She also offers praise to those who joined her at points along the trail, demonstrating that friends and family are the best at keeping up one’s spirits. She was joined along the trail at various times by her parents and her brothers as well as by world-class hikers who wanted to show their interest in her success.

While hiking along the trail with her brother, Davis explains her wish to be perceived as an athlete, not as a woman athlete.

“I wish the media did a better job of portraying women as legitimate athletes. … I just want women to have the chance to be taken seriously as athletes. … In ultra-running, when a guy gets beaten by a woman, he usually says that he got ‘chicked.’ It’s common lingo at the finish line, and it implies that there is something inherently embarrassing about it. And I’m not arguing that most men aren’t genetically stronger and faster than women, because that’s a proven fact. But when it comes to endurance sports, the stronger, faster person doesn’t always win.”

The lessons she learned along the 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail are the lessons of love and commitment. She was challenged at times by those who thought she was obsessed with the trail and that her actions threatened her marriage. Jennifer and Brew Davis married 12 days before she began her first record-setting hike. She writes, “ … as long as I surrounded myself with people who loved me and held me accountable, I could give my all to this hike without worrying about compromising who I was. Brew and I both wanted to be good spouses … more than we wanted to set a trail record.”

For a young woman, Davis brings to her book wisdom, knowledge and an unquenchable enthusiasm that comes from her youth and from the inspiration of those who support her. And these days, that love looks a lot like Brew and Jennifer’s little daughter.

“Called Again” is the second book by Jennifer Pharr Davis relating her challenges and triumphs along the Appalachian Trail. Her first book, “Becoming Odyssa,” was published in 2011, and “Called Again” was published this year. In addition, Davis has also authored three hiking guidebooks and is the owner-founder of Blue Ridge Hiking Co.

“Becoming Odyssa,” Davis’s first book will be used for a common read in ACA 115, Success and Study Skills at Blue Ridge Community College. Use of this book is designed to create a sense of connectedness and continuity necessary for successful first-year programs. Activities throughout the course will be based on this reading. To culminate the common read and to further promote college culture and community, Jennifer Pharr Davis will be on campus in the middle of the semester to lead workshops and a hike for students, faculty and staff.

<p>In 2008, Jennifer Pharr-Davis set the Women's Supported Appalachian Trail record (57 days and 8 hours, averaging 38 miles per day). As she relates in her newest book, “Called Again,” after her first success, she felt called to challenge the record held by men on the trail.</p><p>Throughout this account, Davis gives acknowledgment to those who, at every step on the trail, came to her support. This allowed her, in 2011, to claim the Overall Appalachian Trail record — 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, an average of 47 miles per day.</p><p>Her trek was a physical as well as a spiritual journey. Her companions along the way were seasoned hikers, some who were friends, some who became friends. Her biggest supporter was her husband, the man who offered encouragement, food and warmth as she settled into the campsite he had prepared for her at the end of each day.</p><p>Davis writes of her physical challenges — the rain, the mud, the bugs, the pain — as something she accepts as part of this quest. Her skills as a hiker help her surmount the physical challenges. Her determination makes her put one step in front of the other every day to meet her goal.</p><p>The charm of this book is in Davis's joy of the challenge. And the story is also in praise of the support she received from her husband, Brew, through the many days of training and of his presence during the 46 days of her trek. She talks of their love and the intimacy of their relationship with grace and affection.</p><p>She also offers praise to those who joined her at points along the trail, demonstrating that friends and family are the best at keeping up one's spirits. She was joined along the trail at various times by her parents and her brothers as well as by world-class hikers who wanted to show their interest in her success.</p><p>While hiking along the trail with her brother, Davis explains her wish to be perceived as an athlete, not as a woman athlete.</p><p>“I wish the media did a better job of portraying women as legitimate athletes. … I just want women to have the chance to be taken seriously as athletes. … In ultra-running, when a guy gets beaten by a woman, he usually says that he got 'chicked.' It's common lingo at the finish line, and it implies that there is something inherently embarrassing about it. And I'm not arguing that most men aren't genetically stronger and faster than women, because that's a proven fact. But when it comes to endurance sports, the stronger, faster person doesn't always win.”</p><p>The lessons she learned along the 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail are the lessons of love and commitment. She was challenged at times by those who thought she was obsessed with the trail and that her actions threatened her marriage. Jennifer and Brew Davis married 12 days before she began her first record-setting hike. She writes, “ … as long as I surrounded myself with people who loved me and held me accountable, I could give my all to this hike without worrying about compromising who I was. Brew and I both wanted to be good spouses … more than we wanted to set a trail record.”</p><p>For a young woman, Davis brings to her book wisdom, knowledge and an unquenchable enthusiasm that comes from her youth and from the inspiration of those who support her. And these days, that love looks a lot like Brew and Jennifer's little daughter.</p><p>“Called Again” is the second book by Jennifer Pharr Davis relating her challenges and triumphs along the Appalachian Trail. Her first book, “Becoming Odyssa,” was published in 2011, and “Called Again” was published this year. In addition, Davis has also authored three hiking guidebooks and is the owner-founder of Blue Ridge Hiking Co.</p><p>“Becoming Odyssa,” Davis's first book will be used for a common read in ACA 115, Success and Study Skills at Blue Ridge Community College. Use of this book is designed to create a sense of connectedness and continuity necessary for successful first-year programs. Activities throughout the course will be based on this reading. To culminate the common read and to further promote college culture and community, Jennifer Pharr Davis will be on campus in the middle of the semester to lead workshops and a hike for students, faculty and staff.</p>